I began looking for a Doberman in the spring of 1996. I knew I wanted a well socialized dog that would be good with people and other dogs. I planned on using him as a demo dog as well as a competition dog in Obedience and Agility. I wasn't sure I really had the time necessary for a new puppy. I was really much more comfortable with the idea of rescuing an adult dog. From the research that I had done, however, I knew that Dobermans can face many genetic health problems, so I had decided to buy a puppy from a responsible breeder.

Once I finally found a quality breeder, I made the drive to Connecticut to look at a litter of puppies. She had gorgeous puppies but she also had a handsome 1 year old dog that was in need of a home. Now I felt I had the best of both worlds--a rescued dog and one that was well bred. Without much thought I decided to take him instead.

The person who had owned Makana before me had named him Superior. That should provide the image of what this dog’s life was like. His previous owner was a dominating person who felt that he could and should physically dominate this Doberman. Apparently when "Superior" started to grow up, he began to seriously "talk back" to this person and soon after his first birthday, the man turned him in to the pound. The breeder I had met had found out that her dog’s son was in the pound and quickly took him back to her house. That’s where I came in.

I gave Makana his new name (Makana means "the gift" in Hawaiian) and he has given me education, love and surprises. He has exceeded my expectations ten-fold. I'm not saying it was easy . . . this animal had been physically abused and had many issues about people. He was also not socialized with other dogs. I worked very hard with him so he could be my demonstration dog.

Makana is 12 years old now (2007) and has turned into the best dog I'll ever have. Because of his history of abuse, and all of the time I have put in to him, he has grown to trust me so much and can go anywhere with me with no problem. Two years after I took him home he even earned his Therapy Dog certification from Therapy Dog International. He is great with dogs and people. Everyone loves Makana! People who meet him have a hard time envisioning him to be anything other than sweet and friendly.

I retired Makana from agility in 2006 when he was 11 ½. But you can read about his agility life here.

And sadly, Makana passed away at the age of 13.5. I had to make the rough decision to move him to the next world. Here is his memorial page.